The Voice, a popular television series that first aired in 2011, showcases the talent of aspiring singers vying to win a grand prize of $100,000 and a record deal with Universal Music Group. An estimated 46,000 people attended the open call audition this year, and after a number of cuts, Rhame was one of the 96 chosen to perform on television in front of a panel of celebrity judges. Award-winning musicians Blake Shelton, Pharrell Williams, Adam Levine and Gwen Stefani were the four judges chosen this season to make up the panel.
Rhame was able to advance to the next round, and although she was eventually eliminated, the experience was, nonetheless, a great moment for her career, which she had been building since the age of six.
“I honestly couldn’t tell you what made me [interested in music],” Rhame said. “I’ve been doing this for as long as I can remember.”
Sydney’s mother, Julie Rhame, agrees that music is something that has captivated Sydney since a young age.
“Even when she was an infant, she would hum along to songs when she was taking a bottle or nursing,” said Julie Rhame. “She was always a very verbal child and loved expressing herself, especially musically.”
Rhame’s love of music earned her the opportunity to perform at a variety of public venues. Her unique sound caught the attention of The Voice’s talent scouts, who started reaching out to Rhame to convince her to audition for the show.
“They had contacted me at least three separate times at different stages — from when I was 13 to now — and I had kept saying that I just didn’t want to do it.” Rhame said. “So then, they contacted me around January of this past year and my mom was like, ‘You might as well try it,’ and I finally thought, ‘Oh, whatever I’ll do it.’”
The decision ended up being beneficial for Rhame, who has now received national recognition and nearly 9,000 combined Twitter and Instagram followers, but that isn’t to say that the process wasn’t nerve-wracking.
“I was probably the most terrified that I have ever been in my entire life,” Rhame said. “I was in this tent beforehand where they were trying to fix my hair and makeup, but I was shaking so much that they just couldn’t.”
Julie Rhame, who accompanied Sydney to the audition, experienced a similar rush of anxiety.
“When I saw her walk onto the stage in that quiet moment before the music started and the lights were dimmed, I felt like I was having an out-of-body experience,” Julie Rhame said. “It was hard to comprehend what was actually happening.”
When the contestants perform their song, the judges have their backs facing the audience, thus the “blind” audition. If a judge wants a certain singer as a member of his or her team, they press a button, which turns their chair around, allowing them to observe the singer for the remainder of the performance. The performer then gets to pick their team out of the judges who pressed their buttons.
Rhame was able to get Pharrell Williams, the only judge to have an open spot left, to press his button, and she wouldn’t have had it any other way.
“Pharrell was definitely my first choice” Rhame said. “He’s a producer, songwriter and singer, and I feel like he’s the most talented out of all the coaches. He’s also won 10 Grammys, so that helped.”
For the next element of the competition, Rhame was paired up with another member of Pharrell’s team: Madi Davis, a 16-year-old singer-songwriter from Chicago. Despite her eventual elimination, the feedback she has received about the experience from her peers has been positive.
“People have been really nice to me,” Rhame said. “They always ask about [the judges].”
Rhame has also served as an inspiration for other aspiring artists. Caroline Bray, a junior at Grady, looks to emulate Sydney’s success in her own music career.
“She already has songs out on iTunes, and seeing the publicity she’s gotten from The Voice is really inspirational,” Bray said. “To see how successful she is at her age motivates me to want to keep going and pursue music professionally.”
As for the future, Rhame is hopeful that she will be able to take her music to the next level.
“I’m very excited about the future,” Rhame said. “I think that I’ll do music no matter what happens, and see where that gets me.”
Julie Rhame is confident music will continue to play a principal role in Sydney’s life no matter the circumstances.
“She’s driven, she’s smart, she’s disciplined and she has the talent to take her there,” Julie Rhame said. “Will it be an easy road? Most likely no. But, even if she ultimately decides at some point not to pursue a career in the music industry, I know music will always be an important part of her life one way or another.”
